1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to organizers for computer cables, electrical cords, and the like. The present invention relates more specifically to a mounting cabinet having a number of slots for inserting and securing individual cord wrapping bars.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some efforts have been made in the past to provide an apparatus which is capable of organizing multiple cords such as those found on a computer system or an entertainment system. These efforts have generally been directed to devices that provide an element for winding, tensioning, or wrapping the cords, cables, or wires in place in order to shorten the amount of cord or cable remaining loose. In general, however, these devices do not provide a simple unit for the secure and precise organization of multiple cords of varying length.
Some of these past efforts include winding reels, such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,533,341 issued to Alfano which is directed to a set of simple reels adapted to take up the slack in electrical cables and prevent unwinding. U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,819 issued to Lapinskas is directed to a spool-like device having a long hub with an outer surface on which a cord may be wrapped, as well as retaining rims and releasable clips for securing the cord. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 376,530 issued to Hawthorne is directed to the ornamental design for a cord organizer container having a number of spools with notched openings above each spool, openings on the side panels of the container, and a cover for the container.
Other prior art devices for cord storage include containers or canisters such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,484 issued to Lerner et al. which discloses a canister that includes a protective cover and an internal cylinder around which cords can be wound, having adjustable notched rings capable of holding cords in place. U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,268 issued to Lerner et al. is directed to an organizer consisting of identical elongated containers which can be used singly or attached in multiple units, the combination of which creates a base upon which other objects or small electrical appliances may be placed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,089,210 issued to Ritter is directed to a molded plastic cord holder for shortening and storing the intermediate portions of a cord by winding them around multiple partitions within the device in order to achieve the desired length. U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,280 issued to Stephens et al. is directed to a cable caddy for shortening and housing medical monitor cables in the operating room and at the bedside. The cable caddy includes a base and a number of cable cartridges having a winding surface and, optionally, one or more end flanges with cable grasps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,846 issued to McDonald is directed to a harness to remove slack from coaxial type cables utilized with various electronic components. A container is provided with a number of telescoping heads to orient and secure the cables. Alternatively, spring biased spools may be used to enable a tensioned withdrawal of unused cable from the container. U.S. Pat. No. 6,590,785 B1 issued to Lima et al. is directed to a cable manager that arranges a number of cables which are engaged by bobbins and troughs forming a tray-like structure, wherein the cables may be additionally secured with clips or locks. U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,169 B1 issued to Gershfield is directed to an organizer designed to be attached to a table top, having a base with a cable guide extending at an angle for receiving the cables, and prongs with cable retainers extending upward above the base for guiding and arranging the cables.
While many attempts have been made in the past to provide an apparatus for organizing multiple cords and cables, some of which secure the cords into position, few if any of the devices provide a simple way to precisely shorten cords and/or add or remove individual cords, and at the same time provide frames or enclosures that are compact and easy to handle. Such features are not met by any system described in the prior art. It would be desirable therefore to halve a versatile caddy design for power cord organization which includes a simple structure with slots to hold a plurality of bars with means on each bar for securing a cord or cable to a desired length to keep the cable from unwinding. The device should be of modular design wherein the reel components may be used alone or attached in multiple units within the organizer.